ECO.officina
Abstract
ECO.officina is a software support tool for product innovation. The innovation processes is based on the use of environmental criteria to stimulate the creativity for new products. The difference compared to similar tools is that it intervenes as a stimulator rather than a filter of the creative generation of sustainable concepts.
Rather than the evaluation of a finished project in terms of eco sustainability the software tool works as a generator of “design directions” for the very first phases of design innovation process by posing alternatives such as;
“How would it look if this office chair was made out of a single material?”
“Could a cell-phone be used for a different purpose once it doesn’t work anymore?”
Driver
Environmental
Redefinition of the role of design and design education within the environmental challenge
Design / Art
Trend trying to turn environmental limitations into opportunities.
Obstacle
Social
The creative process can be considered as an individual and private moment which could avoid in many cases the adoption of a software tool in this phase.
Design / Art
This kind of a software tool should have a very rich database of environmental solutions to surpass the risk of too little variety and automatized results.
Indication
Uncertain
The environmental constrains are turn into creative stimulation to invent a new sustainable society
Sector specifics / cultural specifics
The tool is used in the product design field.
Source
Scientific Literature